The upcoming Vadhavan port in Palghar district of Maharashtra will be amongst the ten largest ports in the world. Besides enhancing India’s maritime presence on the global map, the complex will bring in development, create employment opportunities and swell Maharashtra’s strategic positioning further. Of course, its path is not smooth as the authorities will have to tackle multiple challenges, including litigations. Nonetheless, the pace of its development is positive.
The port project is looking at an investment of over Rs.65000 crore in a phased manner, stretching over the next 15 years. Vadhavan port is taking shape in the ecologically fragile Dahanu taluka in Palghar district on the western coast in Maharashtra, the location was selected by the then shipping minister Nitin Gadkari. Mercifully, the project has not lost steam though Gadkari is no longer holding the portfolio.
As its infrastructure-oriented policy, the Union government has sanctioned several port projects in Maharashtra. They include India’s largest cruise terminal in Mumbai port and some container terminals in JNPT complex. Moreover, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) has been receiving priority treatment from the government, which has been making planned efforts of enhancing the capacity of ports on the west coast. A crucial role in this development will be played by Vadhavan. The initial 1600 to 1800 km of the IMEC will comprise the sea link connecting ports on India’s west coast with Fujairah in the UAE.
As part of this planning, Vadhavan port will have a draft of 20 meters so that it will be capable of handling 25000 Twenty Feet Equivalent Units (TEUs) container vessels. It will be handling an estimated 254 million tonnes of cargo annually, including 9.87 million TEUs, according to the planning projections.
Absence of such a facility had stunted India’s maritime trade growth. Now that Vadhavan is coming up, this major hurdle will be overcome, though only after resolving various delicate issues. The project was under consideration for a long time and political ups and downs had hampered any final decision about its fate. One major reason for the stoppage was the protests from local people, especially fishermen. The Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA), too, had raised a slew of objections to the project.
The Vadhavan port complex will be set up as a corporate entity under the Companies Act. The model of Kamarjar port near Chennai will be emulated and the port will be developed as a landlord port. Whereas the port company will be constructing the port infrastructure, its berths, terminals and ancillary facilities will be developed by private firms under the public-private-partnership (PPP) model.
The port will come up off the shore by reclaiming 567 hectares of land from below the sea water. The first phase of this portion of the project will cost over Rs 10000 crore. The decision not to utilise the existing land was taken to avert the resistance by the fishermen and environmentalists. Now that various clearances have been obtained, JNPT has advertised tenders to undertake the project’s detailed engineering. The port authority timeline says the details will be finalised under the master plan in a year’s time, including the design and investment details.
One highlight of the port will be the 11.2 km-long break water. Its head will be in the sea at a depth of 18 metres whereas the tail will emerge near the shore. After completion, it will be one of the deepest sea port breakwaters in the world. The breakwater development will entail an investment of over Rs.8000 crore.
The proposed port will supply green fuel to the ships arriving at its terminals. However, it will not handle any liquid bulk except the eligible oils. This precaution will be helpful in maintaining the ecological balance in that zone.
The project work has gained momentum after DTEPA reversed its 1998 ruling. DTEPA is the quasi-judicial authority appointed by the supreme court when the Reliance (now Adani) thermal power plant was coming up at Dahanu, DTEPA had declared the Vadhavan project “wholly impermissible and illegal.” The Authority’s final order was issued on 31 July 2023, whereby the Jawaharalal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) had been allowed to approach the Union environment ministry for environment clearance. The ministry issued its in-principle nod for the port development by specifying the terms of reference to JNPA in October 2020. Environmentalists and local fishermen immediately threatened to challenge the clearance in court.
The Dahanu eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) was notified in 1991 and it has imposed several restrictions on mega development projects in the region. This position has been reiterated by the Authority in 2017. Due to local and political factors, the project went into oblivion after the change of government in Maharashtra in 1998. After the change at the Centre, the project was revived in 2015 by setting up a special purpose vehicle by JNPA and the Maharashtra Maritime Board jointly. Again, political considerations played a role and objections to the project were frfreshed in April 2020. This was the time when the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) declassified ports, harbours and jetties as “industrial activities”. But just a couple of months afterwards, later, the environment ministry clarified that these activities can be permitted in eco-sensitive areas, including the Dahanu vicinity. The move generated expected rebuttal. The outcome was a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, which was issued in June 2021. NGT then stayed any further action on the port’s planning and construction. NGT also told the ministry to appoint an expert committee to reconsider if ports and harbours can be allowed as non-industrial activities within ecologically fragile areas. The order has been challenged in the supreme court by an organisation of the fishermen, who are the original applicant in the matter. Subsequently, the environment ministry “reclassified” the list of permissible, regulated activities in Dahanu taluka to allow the construction of ports and harbours.
DTEPA’s order has been opposed by the farming community, fishermen, tribals, chickoo plantation owners and environmentalists. The fate of the dispute will be known in the near future, it is expected.
Against the grim backdrop of mega projects migrating from Maharashtra, the development of Vadhavan port is a welcome happening. Once commissioned, it will open floodgates of growth and progress for Maharashtra and India.
A Column By
Dilip Chaware – Senior Editor
A media professional for 43 years, with extensive experience of writing on
a variety of subjects; he is also a documentary producer and book author.
